Catching up…

So this last flying season has been amazing. In Florida I had a great time with my friends and was excited to have finished 2nd in the Flytec Race and Rally against such a talented group of pilots.
This post has been long overdue. In Europe my camera went missing on the same day our lunches disappeared. Maybe someone was confused, or really hungry, but I just couldn’t believe that anyone would steal my camera up on launch. After sending out a few emails, a friend (Scott Torkelsen, FAI official) replied with news that he’d found a camera that had been run over by a car (probably fell of the seat or something). He sent the SD card with the pictures to my PO box which I finally picked up in Tahoe – Thanks so much Scott! So here are some of my remaining pictures of flying with my buds at the World Championships in Laragne, France (4th place).

Here’s Dustin saying “whuttup Bitch”

I found a great picture online of me silhouetted above some cu’s. My girlfriend Erin bought a copy and framed it for my birthday. (Since it’s copyrighted, here’s my version featuring OB)

On one of the days that the task was cancelled we were flying back to camping together and at my request Shapiro dove right below me and pull up straight over the top for a beautiful loop that I had framed perfectly, but alas a camera malfunction (operator error) meant I’d missed the money shot (sorry Jeff), but here’s one O’Brien gave me when I asked for a little undersurface.

Getting to make new friends and catching up with old friends is an important part of our travels; this continued through the rest of the season, Ridge-racing at Torrey (2nd place – thanks Robin!), Big Springs (2nd, again), and Santa Cruz Flats (5th, where my dad and girlfriend supported me and got to socialize with the flying crew). I feel very lucky to have found hang gliding not just for the freedom of flight, but for the community (eccentrics and all).

Pizza and Paella night at the Worlds.

This is the remnants of a castle tower just above a fantastic restaurant we enjoyed thanks to Davis and Belinda.

I’ll leave you with a scenic of the Alps and why everyone should take a flying trip in Europe.